Ballot-box.



Patented Mar; 4, 1902'.

I No. 694,543.

c. n. GREEN. B AL'LOT BOX.

(Application. filed Jain. 28, 1001.

(No Model.)

f4: "cams PETERS 00., womumo" WASHINGTON, n c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES D. GREEN, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR TO STEPHEN TH.

TVESTDAL, OF MINNEOTA, MINNESOTA. I

BALLOT-BOX.

$PECIFIGATION' forming part of Letters Patent No. 694,543, dated March 4, 1902. Application filed .l'anuary 28, 1901. Serial No. 45,102. (No model.)

To all whom it Wtay concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES D. GREEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Houston, in the county of Harris and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Ballot- Box, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ballot-boxes, and has for its object to provide an article of the character referred to which is designed particularly to be used by clubs, secret societies, and other associations for the purpose of balloting in all elections in which the rules of the society or association require that ballots be cast. The ballot-box is of the type in which white and black balls are employed; and one of the principal objects of the presentinvention is to dispense with the use of a large number of balls or marbles and enable all the votes to be cast, irrespective of the number of members of the association, with the aid of only two balls, one White and the other black, although it will of course be understood that the particular coloring of the balls is not essential so long as the balls are distinguishable one from the other in order that one ball may be used to vote inthe affirmative and the other in the negative.

By means of the construction hereinafter described it will be impossible for one person to vote in the affirmative or negative more than once without being detected by bystanders, and the ballot-box is equipped with means for preventing such bystanders from seeing which ball is deposited in the box;

Another object of the invention is to provide the ballot-box with means whereby the balls are caused to return to the front of the box or casing after operating upon the registering and alarm mechanisms, so as to render the balls accessible at all times.

A furtherobject is to provide a folding hood for preventing bystanders from observing which ballis handled by thevoter, which hood is adapted to fold within the plane of the box and to form a closure for the front compartment thereof.

With the above and other objects in view, which will be better understood as the nature of the invention is disclosed, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a ballot-box constructed in accordance with the present invention looking toward the front or voting end thereof and showing the front closure lifted and held elevated to constitute a protective hood. Fig. 2 is a central vertical longitudinal sectionthrough the ballot-box. Fig. 3 isahorizontal section through the box, taken just above the hopper andbeneath the registering mechanism. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section through the ballot-box, showing the registering and alarm mechanism.

Similarnumerals of referencedesignate corresponding parts in all figures of the drawings.

The ballot-box contemplated in this invention comprises, essentially, a box or casing 1, which for convenience is shown as of rectangular formation, although it will be apparent that the shape and size of the ballot-box may be varied greatly without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

The box is provided at a point intermediate'its length'with a transverse partition 2, which divides the box into a front compartment 3 and a rear compartment 4, in which latter the registering and alarm mechanisms are mounted.

The transverse partition 2 is provided in its upper portion with an opening 5,which is partially covered at the front side of the partition by means of a cup-shaped hopper 6, which is located in the front compartment 3 and which is adapted to receive the ballotballs, (shown at 7.) Within'the rear compartment 4 is arranged a chute 8, which inclines rearwardly and has its forward end in communication with theopening 5 and hopper 6, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, so that a ball placed in the hopper 6 will pass through the opening5 and roll down the chute 8,which forms 7 a part of the raceway for the balls. The chute 8 comprises the bottom 9 and the oppositely-located side flanges 10, which also constitute rails upon which the larger or white ball '7 rolls. The flanges 10 are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the diameter of the black ball, so that said ball will roll in contact with the floor or bottom 9 of the chute and upon reachinga certain point drop downward through an opening 11 in the bottom or floor 9. The white ball, however, will pass along the entire length of the chute S, rolling in contact with the edges of the side flanges 10, and will pass off the lower end of the chute and fall downward upon an inclined floor comprising a transversely-inclined portion 12 and a longitudinally-inclined portion 13, the portion 12 inclining downward toward the side of the casing and the longitudinal portion 13 inclining downward therefrom toward the intermediate partition 2, as clearly shown in Fig.2.

The partition 2 is provided at the bottom and adjacent to each side of the box with openings 14, through which the balls pass into one or the other of a pair of covered arcuate outlets 15, located in the bottom of the front compartment 3 and terminating in a deliveryreceptacle 16, into which the balls find their way after traversing their respective raceways, the final position of the balls being illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. It will be noted that the covered outlets 15 converge toward their discharge ends, and thus direct the balls into the centrally-arranged delivery-receptacle 16. Below the opening 11 in the chute 8 there is also arranged a transversely-inclined floor 17 and a longitudinallyinclined floor 18, by means of which the smaller ball passing through the opening 11 is directed toward the front of the casing, where it passes through its respective opening 14 and covered outlet 15 into the deliveryreceptacle.

From the foregoing description it will be observed that the balls are started at the same point at the front of the casing and delivered at a common point, also at the front of the easing, both the starting and finishing points being in front of the transverse partition 2 and within the front compartment of the box, where the balls are always conveniently accessible.

The registering mechanism is in duplicate and comprises two separate and independentlyoperable register bands 19, each of which extends around a pair of rollers 20, mounted on parallel shafts 21, mounted in suitable bearings within the rear compartment of the box and adjacent to the top wall thereof, said shafts extending longitudinally of the casing, so that the bands travel in a direction transversely of the casing. One of the roller 20, upon which each band travels, is provided with a ratchet-wheel 22, which is operated by means of a vertically-arranged pawl 23, having a hook extremity 24, which is adapted to successively engage the teeth of the ratchet-wheel, retrograde movement of the ratchet-wheel and band being prevented by means of a detent 24, suitably mounted within a box. The pawls 23 connect pivotally at their lower ends with a pair of operating-levers 25 and 26, both of which are fulcrumed on a cross-shaft 27, supported in bearings 28 within the box. The shaft 27 is stationary, and the levers are mounted to oscillate thereon. The lever 25 is provided with an angular terminal portion 29, which extends through a vertical and longitudinally-disposed division-wall 30 and is provided at its end with a trap 31, which is arranged just under the discharge end of the chute 8, so as to be depressed by the larger ball 7 after leaving the chute. The ball in dropping upon the trap 31 moves the latter downward and rocks the lever 25 upon its fulcrum, thereby drawing downward the pawl 23 a distance sufficient to actuate the ratchet-wheel 27 the distance of one tooth, the registering-band being thereby moved a corresponding distance. The other operating-lever 26 is likewise provided with a trap 32, which is arranged beneath the opening 11 in the bottom 9 of the chute, whereby the smaller ball passing through the opening 11 is adapted by its weight to depress the lever 26 and draw downward on the other pawl 23, thereby producing the same effect upon the other member of the registering mechanism. It will thus be seen that the larger ball operates one registering mechanism, while the other ball operates the other registering mechanism.

The traveling bands 19 of the registering mechanisms have represented upon their outer surfaces numbers, as shown at 33, which are visible through openings 3 1 in the top 35 of the box, the openings being closed and the numbers concealed during the time of voting by means of a cover or lid 36, which may be mounted upon the top of the box in any desired manner, being shown as pivoted at 37 at one end and held by means of a suitable fastening device 38 at the opposite end. One of the registering-bands will be used to indicate the affirmative votes and the other the negative votes, and, if desired, one of the bands may be white, while the other is black, or one may have white numerals represented thereon,while the other is provided with black numerals, or any similar expedient maybe resorted to in order to designate the number of affirmative votes as compared with the number of negative votes.

In addition to the registering mechanisms hereinabove described I also provide an alarm mechanism,eomprising, essentially,an alarmbell 39, supported by a suitable bracket 10 within the box and adapted to be acted upon by a pair of hammers 41, one of such hammers being connected with each of the operating-levers 25 and 26, as shown in the sectional views, so that as the levers are depressed by the action of the balls dropping thereon the respective hammer thereof will be caused to impinge against the bell, producing an audible alarm, indicating that a vote has been cast. Should the voter attempt to vote a second time, the attempt will be disclosed by the second soun'ding of the alarm, It will be observed that a single alarm-bell is used and that it isacted upon by each of the voting-balls, and in order to make the alarm. uniform the balls are preferably made of equal weight, though of different size, so that each will have exactly the same effect on the operating-levers and throw the hammers with the same force against the bell, thus prevent-- ing bystanders from not-icing any difference in the degree of sound given forth by the alarm-bell. V

In order to prevent bystanders from observing which ball is picked up and deposited in the hopper by the voter, I provide a hood 42, which is pivotally mounted at 43 bee tween the side walls of the box-or casing and of such size as to adapt it to fold downward within the front compartment 3, as shown in Fig.2. The front wall 44 of the combined hood and closure when closed, as in Fig. 2, forms the top wall of the hood when moved upward to the position shown in Fig. 1, and such wall is cut out to provide an observation-opening 45, through which the voter may readily see thevoting-balls and properly place them in the receiving-hopper. The hood is upheld by 'meansof a supporting-pin 46,passing through an. opening in the side wall of the box and underlying the bottom edge of the hood in its elevated position. downward, it occupies a position entirely Within the plane of the box or case,as shown in Fig. 2, and enables a strap to be passed around the box for carrying the same from place to place.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a very simple, economical, and

convenient ballot-box which will enable voters to cast their ballots without being observed,

and by means of the improvements described it is only necessary to employ two balls, one

designed for an affirmative and the other for a negative vote, although of course one or more additional balls may be placed in the delivery-receptacle, if desired, and which will be found in some cases of advantage, as tending to confuse any inquisitive bystander,

who will thereby not be so well able to perceive which kind of ball is picked up by the voter. It will also be observed that the balls are'started at the same point and delivered at the same point and that both the starting and finishing points are withinthe front compartment, and, further, that the balls are finally deposited in the delivery-receptacle,-. which is within convenient reach of the voter;

also, that while the balls operate different registering mechanisms they operate the same alarm mechanism, and by reason of the balls being of the same weight the same character of alarm is produced irrespective of which ball is used.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, operation, and many advan-. t-ages ,of the herein-described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art with- VVhen the hood is folded out further description, and it will be under stood that various changes in the size,-shape,

proportion, and minor details of construction'may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is I 1. In a ballot-box, aball-raceway having separate branches and constructed to form lmeans for automaticallydirecting a ball to either branch of the raceway, and a final .terminal common to both branches.

2; In a ballot-box'employing balls of dif- :ferent sizes, a ball-raceway having separate branches and constructed to form means for automatically directing the ball to either branch of the raceway, and a final terminal, common to both branches.

3. In a ballot-box, aball-raceway beginning and ending at the same side of the box and having separate branches,and means for .automatically directing a ball to its appropriate branch.

4. In a ballot-box, a ball-raceway begin-.

ning and ending in different horizontal planes terminating at the same side of the box and having separate branches and constructed to form means for directing a ball to its appropriate branch.

5. In a ballot-box,a casing-comprising separate compartments, and-aball-raceway beginning and ending in the same compartment and constructed so as to direct the ball without stop from the initial to the terminal point thereof.

6. In a ballot-box, a casing divided into.

compartments,a raceway beginning and ending in thesame compartment and constructedso as to direct the ball withoutstop from the initial to the terminal point thereof, and ball-actuated registering mechanism. in the adjoining compartment; .7 I

'7.-In a ballot-box, a casing divided into compartments, a raceway beginning and terminating in'the same compartment and constructed so as to direct the ball without stop from the initial to the terminal point thereof, and ball-actuated alarm mechanism in the adjoining compartment.

8. In a ballot-box, a casing, independent ball-raceways diverging from the startingpoint and then converging toward adeliveryreceptacle common to all the raceways, the racewaysbeing constructed to direct the balls without stop from the initial to the ter-' minal point thereof, and registering mechanism arranged in the path of the balls.

9. In a ballot-box, a stationary chute communicating with raceways leading to the front of the box below the discharge-mouth of the chute, and a spring-retracted ball-operated trap arranged adjacent to the discharge-point thereof, in combination with registering mechanism actuated by said. trap. 10. The combination witha ballot-box,'of

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ball-raceways which have their initial and terminal portions in common, and interme-- diate diverging portions, the different portions of the raceways being so arranged that the balls Will travel unimpeded from the point of beginning to the point of ending.

11. The combination with a ballot-box, of ball-raceways having initial and terminal portions in common, and intermediate diverging portions, the initial portion of the raceways being in a higher plane than the terminal portion, and the arrangement being such that the ball travels unimpeded from the point of beginning to the point of ending.

12. The combination With a ballot-box, of ball-raceways beginning at a comm on point, extending thence in opposite directions, and finally converging toward their terminal portions, the arrangement being such that the ball travels unimpeded from the point of beginning to the point of ending.

13. In a ballot-box, the combination with a raceway having separate discharge-points for balls of different sizes, and a receiving-chamber common to all the balls, of registering mechanism, and traps arranged adjacent to the different discharge-points of the raceways and adapted to be operated by the balls of dififerent sizes.

14. In a ballot-box, a chute forming part of the ball-race and having ball-discharges at different points in its length, in combination with ball-operated traps adjacent to the different points of discharge of the chute, registering mechanism operatively connected with said traps, and a receiving-compartment into which all of the balls pass.

15. In a ballot-box, a chute forming part of the ball-race and provided with a dischargeopening at the bottom, and with parallel flanges forming supporting-rails on the upper edges of which one of the balls travels, in combination with ball-operated traps arranged at difierent points in the ball-race, and registering mechanisms operatively connected with said traps.

16. In a ballot-box, a ball-race comprising a receiving-hopper, a delivery-receptacle, the hopper and the receptacle being on the same side of the box, and a transversely and longitudinally inclined floor interposed between the hopper and delivery-receptacle.

17. In a ballot-box, a raceway having separate branches constructed to form means for automatically directinga ball to either branch of the raceway, and a final terminal common to both branches, in combination with a hood arranged to fold entirely within the plane of the box and to form an extension of the said terminal, the hood being partly cut away at one side to present an observation-opening. In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

CHARLES D. GREEN. Witnesses:

JOHN H. SIGGERS, EDWIN E. VROOMAN. 

